Author: State Council of Higher Education for Virginia

Publisher:

Published: 2017

Total Pages: 36

ISBN-13:

The Virginia Plan for Higher Education is designed to identify trends that the Commonwealth must address if it is to prosper and succeed. Through input by higher education partners, The Virginia Plan is intended to help guide a vision for Virginia's future through a common framework. This framework is built on the premise that all partners in higher education must work together to help Virginia, its citizens and its regions. The objective set was to ensure that 60% of working-age Virginians (ages 25-64) held a degree (associate or greater) and an additional 10% of the population held a workforce credential (postsecondary certificate, industry certification, state licensure or apprenticeship) based on U.S. Census data. In total, 70% of the population would hold some postsecondary credential by 2030; this, based on current trends and estimates, would place the Commonwealth as the top state for educational attainment. To meet this vision of becoming the best-educated state by 2030, the council developed a framework for identifying key areas of focus, areas to measure progress and priorities for the coming years through goals, measures and initiatives. This included the following: (1) Goals (4): Access and affordability, student success, investment and innovation, economic and cultural prosperity; (2) Measures and targets (6): Awards, student success, affordability, research, price, economic prosperity; and (3) Initiatives (6): Developing and promoting of affordable pathways and pre-K-12 partnerships, seeking legislative changes to support sustainable public funding, recommending initiatives for further restructuring and shared services, measuring quality of undergraduate education, launching a communication strategy and promoting economic development through research. This report provides an update on progress in each of these areas along with findings and recommendations. Two appendices are included: (1) Updates on Initiatives and Activities from 2016; and (2) Related Indicators.